The Future of Flight, Boeing and AirlineReporter.com are continuing to move forward with Aviation Geek Fest 2012 (#AGF12) and are ready to share a rough draft schedule of events for the day. Times can change — well really anything can change, so this is the basic idea that we are working with right now.

It was cold, dark and windy, but all worth it to catch the delivery flight of All Nippon Airways’ (ANA) first Boeing 787 Dreamliner delivery flight.

Media watches on as ANA's first 787 gets pushed back.

ANA’s [...]]]>

ANA's first Boeing 787 Dreamliner (JA801A) waits in the dark next to the Future of Flight

It was cold, dark and windy, but all worth it to catch the delivery flight of All Nippon Airways’ (ANA) first Boeing 787 Dreamliner delivery flight.

Media watches on as ANA's first 787 gets pushed back.

ANA’s first 787 (JA801A was parked next to the Future of Flight as airline employees loaded up and prepared for their flight to Haneda (HND). The flight was scheduled to take off around 6:35am, but was delayed a bit until about 7:15am. This was okay, since it allowed a little more light before lift off.  The aircraft lined up and took off heading south. After lift off, the pilots waved the wings to say good bye.

JA801A lines up for take off at Paine Field.

It was very emotional for Boeing employees who were gathered on the Strato Deck on top of the Future of Flight. Some had tears of happiness, since so much of their life has been tied up in making the 787 successful.

ANA pilots wave the wings as they head off to Japan.

JA801A will be arriving in Tokyo just before 9am local time to another great celebration. You can follow the flight status on FlightAware.com.

MORE PHOTOS OF THE ANA 787 DREAMLINER DELIVERY FLIGHT

A reminder to all of you who might be in the Seattle area on Sunday to come to our TweetUp. Among meeting sweet people, talking about airlines, you can also win free tickets on Virgin America, get other prizes and there is even a cool surprise for anyone coming.

A reminder to all of you who might be in the Seattle area on Sunday to come to our TweetUp. Among meeting sweet people, talking about airlines, you can also win free tickets on Virgin America, get other prizes and there is even a cool surprise for anyone coming.

WHAT: FREE TweetUP (really a gathering of like-minded people)
WHEN: Starts Sunday the 11th at 2pm, who knows when it will be over
WHERE: Future of Flight located at Paine Field in Everett, WA
HOW: Sign up on the TweetUp page. Show up on Sunday. Last minute show-ups are a.o.k.
WHY: Don’t ask so many questions. Okay fine. Because it will be AWESOME!

Hopefully see you tomorrow.

A big thanks to the Future of Flight for hosting us, Simpliflying for helping to organize and of course Virgin America for providing sweet prizes.

Are you going to be in the Seattle area this weekend? Do you want to get together with other aviation geeks and professionals? Then you need to come to our special Aviation Geek Tweet Up at the Future of Flight this Sunday on September 11th, starting at 2pm (we are using the hashtag #SEAvGeek)

Visiting all the aviation attractions at Paine Field (KPAE) just got a bit cooler. Not only can you visit the Future of Flight, Museum of Flight Restoration Center, Flying Heritage Collection and the Historic Flight [...]]]>

Boo ya! Got my first Paine Field Passport stamp at the Future of Flight. Now on to the others.

Visiting all the aviation attractions at Paine Field (KPAE) just got a bit cooler. Not only can you visit the Future of Flight, Museum of Flight Restoration Center, Flying Heritage Collection and the Historic Flight Foundation at Paine, but now, all of them have come together to offer the Paine Field Passport.

The Paine Field Passport only costs $10 and lasts a year. Financially it will save you 20% on admissions to any of the destinations from September to May and 20% off any of the attraction’s cafes or gift shops year round. Saving a bit of money is quite nice, but I think the actual passport itself is well worth the $10 all on its own.

Last Friday, I was able to take a visit to the Future of Flight and preview the Paine Field Passports first hand. You can either choose brown, blue or red and they have interesting history and photos of the airport (I chose the classic brown). You are also able to collect four different passport stamps from each of the vendors participating. I am proud to say I now have my Future of Flight stamp and now need to work on the rest (photo of me and my passport taken by Sandy Ward at the Future of Flight).

Air New Zealand’s first Boeing 777-300ER was recently delivered to the airline, then flown to Los Angeles before heading to Auckland. Being able to show off the new interior was quite exciting. This was a huge deal for Air [...]]]>

Dinner hosted at the Experience Music Project in downtown Seattle the night before the delivery.

Air New Zealand’s first Boeing 777-300ER was recently delivered to the airline, then flown to Los Angeles before heading to Auckland. Being able to show off the new interior was quite exciting. This was a huge deal for Air New Zealand, Boeing and airline geeks around the world. Boeing and Air New Zealand worked hard to make sure the hand over was not a small celebration and I wanted to share what happens behind-the-scenes on a VIP aircraft delivery.

The event really started the day before the delivery. Boeing employees, Air New Zealand guests, the media and other VIP’s were invited to take a special tour of the Boeing factory and attend a celebratory dinner. Due to scheduling I had to choose to either take a tour of the factory (which I have done quite a bit previously) or take a ride down to LAX on the new plane. Needless to say, I didn’t make the tour.

After the factory tour, people were invited to dinner, which was hosted at the Experience Music Project and Science Fiction Museum in downtown Seattle. The dinner was quite the fancy affair. “The venue - Experimental Music Project (EMP) was a good fit for the delivery dinner as it followed ANZ ’s branding of clean, modern, sleek, technologically advanced and fun as well as all the lighting etc that are part of their new interior and product,” Linda Lee with Boeing International Communications explained to me.

Everyone was in business suits and fancy h’orderves and drinks were being served when I arrived. Although we had free access to roam the facility, I decided to stay and talk with Air New Zealand and Boeing folks. We were housed in a very large room with a huge LED wall with an Air New Zealand Boeing 777-300ER displayed on the wall. On either side was a projected Air New Zealand logo and on the other a Boeing logo. The purple hue of the lights really matched the feeling of the inside of Air New Zealand’s new 777-300ER.

The Future of Flight's Gallery was closed off for the delivery celebration. Where you see the projector screen were the large doors that opened to reveal the new 777-300ER (click for larger).

After things calmed down we all sat in our assigned seats. Sitting on one side of me was Andrew Baker who is the Cultural and Customer Ambassador and on the other was David Wilson who is the Boeing 777 Deputy Fleet Manager and was one of the pilots taking the new 777 to Auckland. Cool. I care very little about celebrities on TV or in movies. For me, these people are celebrities. It was wonderful speaking with them and the rest of the guests at the table about airlines, airplanes and the whole business.

Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren of NYCAviation, who was also covering the event, pointed out that he enjoyed how Air New Zealand set up the seating. “Air New Zealand peppered in more than just the communications staff at the media tables.  We had David, the first officer, and Chris, one of the premium cabin flight attendants at our table among others.  To get their perspectives and pick their brains provided a much more frank and real discussion; one you may not have had at a table with only communications staff parroting talking points.” Oh yes, the food was not too shabby either.

What kind of dinner would it be with out those special speeches? There was a lot of thanks and appreciation that was shared between both companies and it was all well deserved. Although the dinner was a very fun and informational event, one couldn’t help but be excited about actually seeing the plane the next day.

Being December in Seattle, I was expecting rain. The airline-delivery gods were smiling on us and gave us one beautiful day. Our flight was scheduled to leave from Paine Field at 3pm, but were asked to show up at the Future of Flight by 10am. I really didn’t know the full plan for the day and I was totally fine with that. I knew I was there at 10am, plane was leaving at 3pm and I had my return flight back to Seattle. Everything else was going to be an adventure.

Going outside to check out Air New Zealand's Boeing 777-300ER for the first time.

When most airplanes are delivered to an airline there isn’t a huge ceremony. On the east side of the airport, Boeing has a building where the airline’s crew will show up, some paperwork is signed and the aircraft is flown off. Actually during the ceremony, two other airlines took delivery of other Boeing 777-300ERs: Qatar and Turkish Airlines with little fanfare. But with certain milestones, airlines like to make a little bigger deal about their delivery. “Events and deliveries vary based on the airline customer i.e. Is it a first of model, milestone delivery, participation and attendance levels etc.  This obviously was a large event as it was ANZ’s First 777-300ER and the world introduction of their new interior and branding,”  Lee stated.

On the Future of Flight’s gallery floor there was a large stage and chairs set up. The gallery was closed to the general public during this event, but it provides one heck of a backdrop for celebrating an airplane. After some more speeches and some paperwork signed, Boeing handed over the keys — literally. Now, the keys aren’t used to actually start the plane, but I was told they do access the cockpit door. At this point, the airplane is no longer Boeing’s and belongs to the airline (well the bank I guess). After the handshakes and big smiles, the large hangar doors opened to show the shiny new Boeing 777-300ER.

Since this was a few days before Christmas (er, non-denominational holiday time-frame) there was a Santa and two elves dancing around the plane with a big sign that read “Happy Holiday Air NewZealand!” I got too caught up looking at the new plane, others caught something a bit more touching. “Another correspondent working the event noted that he saw a few welled up eyes on the team as the doors pulled back – and I’m not surprised.” Dwyer-Lindgren explained to me. “To be able to share in that excitement and witness the deep pride they felt for their company and their plane was really something special.” The event was more than just getting a new airplane.

Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren (with NYC Aviation) and I show off our boarding passes before getting on board at Paine Field.

Before any of us could take a look inside, Mr. Baker, in traditional garb, blessed the aircraft. Then it was finally time: checking out the inside. Since my blog about the interior already goes over that part of the event, I will skip it on this one. After we all had our tour, it was back into the Future of Flight’s gallery for some food and networking while we waited for the aircraft to be prepared for flight. This was a good time for most media-types to start writing out stories and checking the photos they took.

Then it was time to re-board the airplane, but in a very different way. Instead of going out the hangar doors and up onto the plane, we all went through a mini-security screening, being wanded and having our bags searched. Before getting to the security screening, we received our boarding passes. Now you know you might be an airline geek if getting a boarding pass from Paine Field to LAX gives you a huge smile. Dwyer-Lindgren explains it best, “I got the sense that all the media on board realized that this ticket was something unique and special…but it was us aviation nuts who appreciated it the most.  To have a ticket that actually reads Paine Field…for a domestic flight on an international airline on a brand-spanking new 777-300ER (there are no US airlines who currently utilize them)…was just so unique.  So yes, it was [censored] AWESOME.”

Then it was up on to the plane and time to take our seats. Let’s see, row 7, seat J, that sounds like it might be near the front of the plane and it sure was. Air New Zealand had allowed the media and their guests to try out the seats up front while they sat in Economy Plus (which weren’t too shabby either).

Having to leave the new Boeing 777-300ER at LAX was difficult, especially knowing she was on her way to Auckland.

Taking off in a Boeing 777-300ER, which is about 1/4 full, is a unique experience. I can tell you that we didn’t take up too much of the runway before going airborne. Being a part of a flight with only media, Boeing and airline folks is a fun ride. Easy going atmosphere, cheering during take off and great conversations. I almost wish more flying experiences could be like that.

Unfortunately the flight was short. In less than three hours we were lining up to land at LAX. For a good chunk of people on board, they were heading on to Auckland, but since it was only a few days before Christmas, I had to get off and take a flight right back to Seattle. It was not easy going from my super luxurious seat on the Air New Zealand 777-300ER to my normal economy seat heading back to Seattle.

The delivery of this aircraft was a big deal and both Boeing and Air New Zealand did it right. Although it takes a lot of work from people on both sides to make an event like this happen, it is great to remind people why they are in this business. Where most deliveries will just be pilots coming to pick up the plane with little show, others, will get a much larger and well deserved celebration.

If you missed it earlier, Air New Zealand is having a contest until Valentine’s Day to allow you to win a free trip to New Zealand or England in Cuddle Class.

When I was still new at this blogging game, I decided to set up a visit with the Future of Flight. It was the first time I was going to some place like a museum [...]]]>

Me during my first visit to the Future of Flight. Since then, I have probably been about 25+ times.

When I was still new at this blogging game, I decided to set up a visit with the Future of Flight. It was the first time I was going to some place like a museum (because they aren’t a museum) to review for the blog and I was a bit nervous. However, my nerves quickly turned to excitement after seeing all the cool things they had and meeting Sandy and Ed. I was also able to have an amazing conversation with Barry who is the Director. He is a true aviation enthsiust and quite the AvGeek (that is a compliment).

Since then the Future of Flight has become the social media aviation headquarters of the Seattle area. Hosting Aviation Geekfest in 2009 and 2010 and always being supportive of those on Twitter and bloggers. Today they are celebrating their fifth anniversary since they opened in 2005. Since then they have seen more than 850,000 visitors from 175 different countries. They continue to grow the exhibits they have and share their passion of aviation with other enthsists and of course the next generation.

To celebrate, you can enjoy what they have to offer for only $5 admission, which includes the Future of Flight gallery and Boeing Factory tour for today only. If you haven’t been before, this is a great time to check it out. If you have already been, why not go again?

A special thanks to the Future of Flight for all that they do and a very happy five years!

Paine Field is in the process of building additional parking spots next to the Future of Flight. The hope is Boeing 787 Dreamliners will one day be parked there, but for a little over a week, a Boeing DreamLifter has been [...]]]>

Aerial view of the DreamLifter and Future of Flight taken by Paine Field

Paine Field is in the process of building additional parking spots next to the Future of Flight. The hope is Boeing 787 Dreamliners will one day be parked there, but for a little over a week, a Boeing DreamLifter has been making it home. If you are in the Seattle area, this gives you a great opportunity to pretty close to a DreamLifter.

This photo was taken from the sky by the Paine Field Airport. Check out the shadow that the DreamLifter puts on the ground (zoomed in photo), it is quite impressive, just like the plane itself.

More:
* Larger version of image above
* Photos I took of the DreamLifter yesterday while at Paine Field

Award-winning author and radio producer, Harriet Baskas, will be signing books  from 10am – 3pm. She is author of six books, including Washington Curiosities and Washington Icons.

Harriet writes about airports, air travel, unusual museums and other topics [...]]]> What a cool combination of things going down at the Future of Flight tomorrow, Friday August 6th.

Award-winning author and radio producer, Harriet Baskas, will be signing books  from 10am – 3pm. She is author of six books, including Washington Curiosities and Washington Icons.

Harriet writes about airports, air travel, unusual museums and other topics for MSNBC.com, USATODAY.com and many other outlets. She also runs the blog Stuck at the Airport.

During the book signing, the Future of Flight Store will also offer wine tasting and discounts of up to 50% on selected Northwest wines.

Go see some planes, take a tour of Boeing, get some amazing books signed. No, I don’t get any kick backs for any books sold, but they are great books. I have my own copy of Washington Curiosities and love it!

Yesterday I headed over to the Future of Flight and designed my own airplane. You have until June 7th to design your own airplane and submit it to the Future of Flight and have it displayed. Obviously you don’t need hardcore skills, just a little imagination and some crayons work! Make me proud, submit [...]]]>

Yesterday I headed over to the Future of Flight and designed my own airplane. You have until June 7th to design your own airplane and submit it to the Future of Flight and have it displayed. Obviously you don’t need hardcore skills, just a little imagination and some crayons work! Make me proud, submit your airplane design.

More information.

Who hasn’t doodled a few aircraft designs before? I know I have and I also know they kinda bite! But who cares? The passion for aviation doesn’t care if the plane can fly or not (Boeing and Airbus probably care a bit more). Inspired by Harry Windsor’s drawing of a [...]]]>

Harry Windsor's airplane design

Who hasn’t doodled a few aircraft designs before? I know I have and I also know they kinda bite! But who cares? The passion for aviation doesn’t care if the plane can fly or not (Boeing and Airbus probably care a bit more). Inspired by Harry Windsor’s drawing of a new Boeing airplane for Alaska Airlines, the Future of Flight is holding The Harry Winsor Design Your Own Aircraft Show. You can be a professional or using crayons to enter. And the best part? EVERYONE WINS!

Just follow these simple guidelines:

1. Be really creative. Let your imagination soar. Think above the box.
2. Please submit nothing smaller than 3”x 3” (7.6 cm x 7.6 cm) no larger than 27”x41” (68.5 cm x 104 cm)
3. Put your first and last name, age (if over 18 you don’t have to tell us your age or pick a age you’re comfortable with) and where you live on your art.
4. Submissions must be received by no later than June 7, 2010.
5. Have fun!

No matter how it turns out your drawing will be displayed at the Future of Flight from July 15th to July 30th and you will get an official badge. Come on now people! I know a lot of you out there have an interest in aviation and want to share it! No one will be judging. I will be drawing my own design and I know Sandy at the Future of Flight has already submitted her drawing that is 3D!

I know I will be heading on over to the Future of Flight sometime this week and add my own drawing to their collection.

To find out more and submit your creation(s) check out their website.

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April 22nd, this Thursday, is Earth Day. It is a good reason to think about the environment and maybe get out there and plant a tree.

If you want to experience a little technology with your Earth Day, think about heading over the Future of Flight at Paine Field.  Among [...]]]>

The Boeing U-787 hydroplane.

April 22nd, this Thursday, is Earth Day. It is a good reason to think about the environment and maybe get out there and plant a tree.

If you want to experience a little technology with your Earth Day, think about heading over the Future of Flight at Paine Field.  Among the other cool displays there everyday, you also get a chance to check out a few other earth-friendly things. Boeing will be showing off their bio-fuel hydroplane, the U-787. The boat is able to get up to 153mph using a 90% bio-fuel blend. Chip Hanauer, the hydroplane driver will be there to give autographs as well.

Tesla will be showing off their electric car, which gets 200 miles per gallon, but can still make it from 0-60 in 3.7 seconds.

The day starts at 11am and all the extras are included in their standard ticket prices. If you aren’t able to make it over on the 22nd, the car and boat will still be on display until April 25th. I plan to check it out on Thursday, I hope to see you there!

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The day started out pretty foggy today and the first flight of the Boeing 747-8 was delayed for a few hours. It was well worth the wait, because when she took the air, the sun was out and the sky was blue. The Boeing 747-8 was surprisingly quiet on take off and the chase [...]]]>

The day started out pretty foggy today and the first flight of the Boeing 747-8 was delayed for a few hours. It was well worth the wait, because when she took the air, the sun was out and the sky was blue. The Boeing 747-8 was surprisingly quiet on take off and the chase planes made much more noise.

The Boeing 747-8 is scheduled to be in the air until 4:22pm, when it will land back at Paine Field (and I will be there to take video/pictures).

CHECK OUT MY 64 PICTURES OF TODAY ON FLICKER

Other good stuff from today (will be adding as more posts through out the day):
* Video of the Boeing 747-8 take off from KING5
* Video from the sky of the take off from KIRO7
* Keep up with all the details from Flight Blogger
* Video from the Future of Flight
* Photo gallery of the Boeing 747-8 from Seattle Times
* Pictures from the morning and take off from @TxAgFlyer
* Awesome close up photos from NYC Aviation

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Do you want to watch the Boeing 747-8 take off from one of the best vantage points? Do you have an extra $125 laying around? Do you want your money to help support aviation? If you answered yes to those questions, [...]]]>

Hook yourself up with a VIP seat to the Boeing 747-8's first flight

Do you want to watch the Boeing 747-8 take off from one of the best vantage points? Do you have an extra $125 laying around? Do you want your money to help support aviation? If you answered yes to those questions, do I have a deal for you!

The Future of Flight is offering VIP tickets to watch the Boeing 747-8′s first flight from their Strato Deck. I have been up there first-hand many times and I can say, the vantage point doesn’t get much better than this!

Go to their website to find out more and reserve your spot today! We still aren’t sure of the exact date yet, so you will need to be a little flexible. Official word is sometime during the first quarter, but I am hearing dates around January 28th to February 2nd. Much like the Boeing 787, the 747 will complete taxi tests before its first flight, so we will have a little bit of a heads up.

I will be volunteering for the Future of Flight this event, so if you are up top, I’ll see you there.

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